Monthly Archives: January 2017

Yesterday Todd, my second oldest brother, wanted to make a sliding barn door but then he complained that it would take too long, too expensive, and too hard. It was a long talk, but I was able to convince him that everything he knew about barn doors was a lie. Building a farm door only takes seven hours to get done professionally and two if you are fooling this article. Everything that used here only cost 378 dollars and if I can make / create a barn door, then anyone else can. Now here is how you do this in the simplest of terms:

1. Join the Boards
One of the hardest things about starting out is knowing your dimensions. We are going to assume that you already know the width and height of the door you want to build. Whatever your dimensions make sure to cut it half an inch shorter, gang the boards side by side, and finally screw the blocks in place. Remember to remove the clamps.

2. Combine Filler Strips
This self-explanatory and you should follow your cut list. After that only add adhesive to the lower stiles/rail. Make sure to leave a 1-inch channel for the track to guide the door later.

3. Slice the Chevrons
Now set your mitre saw to 45 degrees and cut off one end of each pallet board. Next use a combination square to mark the boards around one-eighth of an inch. Lastly dry fit them together, one chevron at a time.

4. Part the Corners
Just cut the corners of boards. Make sure to make all of the corners sharp to the touch.

5. Establish the Pattern
Dry fit the chevrons to both panels and lift one board at a time to apply more adhesive to the undersides. Press back to in place and repeat this process until you see the pattern appear.

6. Drill Hollow Holes
Your cut list should explain where you should drill the pocket holes. Typically you will drill two at each end of your upper and middle rails.

7. Build the Support
Now that you have everything ready, this should be as manageable as making a wood jigsaw piece. Just make sure to clamp the frame together once done.

8. Connect the Face Frame
Apply adhesive in a zigzag pattern along the filler strips. Align it with all four edges then you are done. Some people tack it down with brads every eight inches.

9. Rub On the Termination
No need to explain this. Barely sand the entire door and apply the finish.

10. Ascribe the Rollers
Mark the screw locations as indicated by your cut list then replace the wheels. Once you slip the wheels on the grooves, then do one final measure of the door and the track to determine how high the casing has to be.

11. Attach the Mounting Lumber
Use a stud finder to locate the framing and mark the locations of the casing. The hardest part is levelling the mounting board.

12. Fix the Track
If you’ve done it this far, then install the track should be a snap, however, this is unique depending on your measurements. Just make sure to ratchet the rest of the legs in place and snug them all up.

13. Scroll the Door On
Now just roll your creation in place and marvel at your work. Just make sure to position the door handle on the centerline of the stile then you have done it!

Your problem: It has been more than 10 years since we have installed sliding closet doors everywhere in our house. Everything was fascinating and worked well until recently when suddenly almost every sliding door in the house started either to come off tracks or get jammed against each other. No matter what we tried to do, the situation is only getting worse.

Handyman’s solution to your problem: every day your handyman’s office receives a multitude of calls with similar complaints. The majority is about custom sliding closet doors that came off track and it is impossible either to get them back on track or even move. Once there was a case with a trapped person inside a closet door who finally managed to get out but the door still was not functioning right. Therefore, do not feel alone with the problem, we are about to give you some invaluable tips on how to handle came off track custom sliding closet doors.

According to KNR Sliding Doors Culver City, there are older style doors, which are a bit different from the modern ones. First, let’s see how to come with the older ones and then move to those a bit more up-to-date. The first type is sliding doors is characterized by ceiling mounted tracks that do all the support for rollers. The later as a rule go in the shape of an open hanging “j” and that is the reason why the doors tend to come off track in case they are pushed aside or vertically instead of pulling them horizontally from one side to another.

Occasionally, custom sliding closet doors can stuck because of something inside it. In this case, it is a bad idea to push the doors in different directions and trying to lift them. The only thing you will achieve is that the rollers will simply come off track and it will become harder to repair the doors. Especially if your sliding closet doors are those heavy ones.

Sometimes there is the problem with original sliding doors that are put over hard wood floors. The problem here is that the carpeting was put on the floors later than the doors were installed. As a result, the height of the carpeting is not counted into the construction that causes more troubles when opening the sliding closet doors. A good way out here is to remove the doors and trim the base. Such a step will allow you to get everything back on track and enjoy your doors for more years to come.

If your only problem is relatively old rollers, then you have a chance to replace them with the new ones. However, keep in mind that it will be necessary to do the same with the entire track mechanism. Only in this case, you will achieve the goal and your sliding closet will move along as if they are new. By the way, such custom mechanisms are available in all hardware stores, you just need to know the right measurements of your custom sliding closet doors.

When talking about the new generation of mechanisms for custom sliding closet doors, the situation is more simple. Once you install the rollers, trolley and new “C” shaped track correctly, you will not have any additional problems with this type of sliding doors.

The above-mentioned option of replacing the old mechanism with the new one seems logical only when the doors and the frame are is good condition. Then, to do the job on a standard door will take about 2-3 hours. By no means, it will make your life easier and you will not get angry every morning because our closed doors have jammed once again.

The same renovation approach can be applied to pocket doors but in this case, it will be more time-, effort- and material-consuming. The reason is quite obvious as usually pocket doors have a more complicated construction and it is not that easy to get access to the mechanism and replace it with a new one. Note that sometimes it is hard to replace the track as the process requires a 1-2 square foot opening in a drywall to get the things done from the inside. If the drywall is removed, the task gets more simple but not in case if the cabinets of the pocket doors are tiled. The way out here is to move the cabinets for some time or create an opening in the tile.